Jeremiah 9

¹ which ben coumfortid in goddis, vndur ech tree ful of bowis, and offren litle children in strondis, vndur hiye stoonys. ² Thi part is in the partis of the stronde, this is thi part; and to tho thou scheddist out moist offryng, thou offridist sacrifice. Whether Y schal not haue indignacioun on these thingis? ³ Thou puttidist thi bed on an hiy hil and enhaunsid, and thidur thou stiedist to offre sacrifices; ⁴ and thou settidist thi memorial bihynde the dore, and bihynde the post. For bisidis me thou vnhilidist, and tokist auouter; thou alargidist thi bed, and madist a boond of pees with hem; thou louedist the bed of hem with openyd hond, ⁵ and ournedist thee with kyngis oynement, and thou multipliedist thi pymentis; thou sentist fer thi messangeris, and thou art maad low til to hellis. 6 Thou trauelidist in the multitude of thi weie, and seidist not, Y schal reste; thou hast founde the weie of thin hond, 7 therfor thou preiedist not. For what thing dreddist thou bisy, for thou liedist, and thouytist not on me? And thou thouytist not in thin herte, that Y am stille, and as not seynge; and thou hast foryete me. 8 Y schal telle thi riytfulnesse, and thi werkis schulen not profite to thee. 9 Whanne thou schalt crie, thi gaderid tresours delyuere thee; and the wynd schal take awei alle tho, a blast schal do awei hem; but he that hath trist on me, schal enherite the lond, and schal haue in possessioun myn hooli hil. 10 And Y schal seie, Make ye weie, yyue ye iurney, bowe ye fro the path, do ye awei hirtyngis fro the weie of my puple. 11 For the Lord hiy, and enhaunsid, seith these thingis, that dwellith in euerlastyngnesse, and his hooli name in hiy place, and that dwellith in hooli, and with a contrite and meke spirit, that he quykene the spirit of meke men, and quykene the herte of contrit men. 12 For Y schal not stryue with outen ende, nether Y schal be wrooth til to the ende; for whi a spirit schal go out fro my face, and Y schal make blastis. ¹³ Y was wrooth for the wickidnesse of his aueryce, and Y smoot hym. Y hidde my face fro thee, and Y hadde indignacioun; and he yede with out stidfast dwellyng, in the weie of his herte. ¹⁴ Y siy hise weies, and Y helide hym, and Y brouyte hym ayen; and Y yaf coumfortyngis to hym, and to the moreneris of hym. ¹⁵ Y made the fruyt of lippis pees, pees to hym that is fer, and to hym that is niy, seide the Lord; and Y heelide hym. ¹⁶ But wickid men ben as the buyling see, that may not reste; and the wawis therof fleten ayen in to defoulyng, and fen. ¹⁷ The Lord God seide, Pees is not to wickid men. ¹⁹ Crye thou, ceesse thou not; as a trumpe enhaunse thi vois, and schewe thou to my puple her grete trespassis, and to the hous of Jacob her synnes. ²⁰ For thei seken me fro dai in to dai, and thei wolen knowe my weies; as a folk, that hath do riytfulnesse, and that hath not forsake the doom of her God; thei preien me domes of riytfulnesse, and wolen neiy to God. ²¹ Whi fastiden we, and thou biheldist not; we mekiden oure soulis, and thou knewist not? Lo! youre wille is foundun in the dai of youre fastyng, and ye axen alle youre dettouris. ²² Lo! ye fasten to chidyngis and stryuyngis, and smyten with the fist wickidli. Nyl ye fast, as `til to this dai, that youre cry be herd an hiy. ²³ Whether sich is the fastyng which Y chees, a man to turmente his soule bi dai? whether to bynde his heed as a sercle, and to make redi a sak and aische? Whethir thou schalt clepe this a fastyng, and a dai acceptable to the Lord? ²⁴ Whether not this is more the fastyng, which Y chees? Vnbynde thou the byndingis togidere of vnpitee, releesse thou birthuns pressynge doun; delyuere thou hem free, that ben brokun, and breke thou ech birthun. ²⁵ Breke thi breed to an hungri man, and brynge in to thin hous nedi men and herborles; whanne thou seest a nakid man, hile thou hym, and dispise not thi fleisch. ²⁶ Thanne thi liyt schal breke out as the morewtid, and thin helthe schal rise ful soone; and thi riytfulnesse schal go bifore thi face, and the glorie of the Lord schal gadere thee.